Gas producing and consuming apparatus.



.No. 790,253. PATENTED M Y 16, 19,05. c. ELLIS.

GAS PRODUGINGAND OONSUMING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION IILED NOV. 22, 1904.

Z@ A ATTORNEYS N0. 790,253. I l I if Patented May 16,1905.

7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARLETON ELLIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO EIIDRED PROCESS COMPANY,OF. NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

GAS PRODUCING AND coNsuwuNe. APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,253, dated May 16,1905.

Original application filedOctober 18,1904, Serial No. 228,915. Dividedand this application filed November 22, 1904. Serial TO y 607206771:secondly, the use of gases deficient in carbonBeitknownthatI,CARLEToNELLIs,acitizen dioxid without substantial.cooling; thirdly, of the United States, residing at New York .theemployment of draft-accelerating means 5 city, county and State of NewYork, have inhaving inadequate provisions for .regulating vented certainnew and useful Improvements the oxygen and endothermic constituents ofin Gas Producing and Consuming Apparatus, the draft-currentindependentlyand in the of which the followingspecification and accom correctproportions. panyingdrawing discloseasanillustrationone I find that theordinary run of furnace- 55 embodiment thereof which I now regard as thegases, especially when the furnaces are oper- IO best out of the variousforms in which the ated, as usual, with a large excess of air inprinciples of my invention may be applied. order to secure completecombustion, are so This apparatus is especially intended to weak incarbon dioxid that their endothercarry out the method of making weak gasby mic action within the fuel-bed of the pro- 60 the producer process asdescribed in my 00- ducer is insuflicient to overcome the high 5 pendingapplication, Serial No. 228,915, of temperature at which it has beenproposed to which the present application is a division. introduce them,and as a consequence the pro-' Its main object is to dispense'witlr theuse of ducer either runs so hot as to produce large steam asa coolingagent within the producer, quantities of soot, .melted slag or clinkers,to secure a better quality of gas,'to permit and carbon dioxid, or itbecomes necessary the employment of'accelerated draft Without to employsteam in large quantities in an incurring excessive temperatures, and toperefiort to reduce the temperature to a practimit the producer to beoperated at a lower cal working point. These devices have alsotemperature, as well as to secure a greater suffered from the inflexiblecontrol afforded 7 operative range and increased flexibility of by a jetof air or steam which they were com- 5 adjustment to meet the varyingconditions pelled by their high temperature to employ arising withdifferent grades and kinds of as a draft-accelerator in lieu of a fan orfuel. To this end I employ a draft-current equivalent mechanical device,since such a jet composed in part ofa neutral endothermiadds its own'quota of reacting fluid to the 75 cally-reacting fixed gas,such ascarbon dioxid draft-current, and when used in the way pro- 3 which mayconveniently be derived-from the posed a variation in the propellingpower of stack-gases of a furnace or other available the jet, fails toresult in maintaining the com-' source. position of the draft-current inthe correct Prior attempts have been made to devise a proportions withreference to the temperasystem for utilizing the gasified carbon of tureof the stack-gases and their richness in the waste stack-gases andsecure the benefits carbonic acid. It is also necessary to take of thateconomy in fuel consumption which into account the velocity reactions onaccount theoretically results from the fact that less of which the fuelunder forced draft will heat is required to reduce CO2 to CO than isslag even with stack-gases theoretically rich 5 needed in firstgasifying solid fuel and then enough in CO2 to maintain a non-slagging 4reducing the CO2. Such systems have necestemperature, because probablyof the fact sitated the employment of steam as a cooling that at hightemperatures carbon manifests a agent. .The failure to devise apractical sysselective aflinity for oxygen in preference to tem forutilizing the waste gases without carbon dioxid, which is not soapparent when 9 usingsteam to cool the producer has, I apthedraft-current is cooled, the exothermic prehend, been due to thefollowing principal and endothermic reactions in the latter case causes:first, the employment of the furnaccoccurring at speeds more nearlyapproximatgases at an extremely high temperature; ing each other.

' that feature generically.

My invention involves control of the temperature and proportions of thecooling agent with reference to its richness in endothermic constituent,and for the practice of said invention the following conditions areessentialnamely, supplying the diluent gas in such a condition, effectedeither by cooling it or deriving it of a composition sufficiently richin endothermic constituent, as to maintain the temperature of theproducer below the point at which soot, slag, or 'clinkers form inobjectionable quantities and the predetermined independent regulation oradjustment of the respective proportions of free oxygen and neutral orendothermic gas in the draftcurrent. For the latter result I prefer toemploy a mechanical draft-accelerator. such producer through a long pipesubject to radiation and convection of heat or subjected to artificialcooling by deportation of heat from its surface or contents. Bothmethods may be employed in conjunction for very weak products ofcombustion, small regenerators, &c., and I have shown both in thedrawing.

I am aware of patent to Eldred, No. 692,257, in which the employment ofneutral stackgases cools the fuel-bed; but I do not claim My presentinvention relates specifically to the production from a thick bed offuel of combustible gas, which, owing to the potential properties of itsheatgiving constituents, may, if desired, be carried to a distance fromthe producer and burned at any desired point.

My invention is particularly adapted, though not necessarily confined,to an organization in which the gas-producer is functionally andstructurally remote from the consuming apparatus, because from the factthat I operate the producer at a low temperature there is little need ofattempting to utilize the sensible heat of the producer-gas, and thenecessary length of the return-conduit for the products of combustion inmany cases may dispense with other special provisions for cooling theseproducts.

The accompanying drawing represents a sectional view of an apparatusconstructed and arranged in accordance with my invention and embodying agas-producer and a regenerative furnace, together with other featuresnecessary to effect the object above stated.

1 indicates the gas-producer, comprising a generating-chamber adapted tocontain a deep bed of fuel 2 and having suitable inlet-apertures forfeeding fuel from the top and a water seal at the lower end, from whichthe ashes are removed.

3 is a gas-pipe connecting the upper end of the producer with areverberatory furnace 4, of which 5 is the hearth-chamber, and 6 7 thegas and air entrances in pairs at each end, the air-entrance beingsuperimposed upon the gas-entrance.

8 and 9 are respectively the gas and air regenerators, two of eachconnected with the entrances 6 7 and containing brick checkerwork. Theirlower ends connect by passages 10 11 with the reversing-valve mechanismembodying valves 12 13, whereby the regenerators are alternately placedin the air and gas lines leading to the furnace and in the path of theproducts of combustion leading from the furnace to a stack-passage 15.

From a point between the gas-regcnerators and the trunk of thestack-passage 15 a pipe 16 leads back to the boshes of the producer 1and enters the same by twyers 17 whereby products of combustion may bereturned from the furnace to the hottest part of the fuelbed and passedtherethrough. This conduit contains a,fan-blower 18, and back of saidblower there is an air-inlet 19 to the conduit for supplying air to thestack-gases for supporting combustion and cooling the gases. Theair-inlet and the trunk of the pipe 16 are equipped with valves ordampers 20 21, whereby the proportions of air and products of combustionin the draft-current may be accurately and independently regulated withespecial reference to the temperature of the stack-gases and theirrichness in CO2 and the slagging-point of the particular fuel which isbeing burned, so as to give the desired results in maintainingcombustion within the producer at a temperature below the slagging andsooting points. These valves are adjusted to provide an air-supplyinsuflieient for the combustion of the gas after it emerges from the bedof fuel, so that the output of the producer shall be a combustible gaswhich may be conducted to any desired point of use and there burned withoxygen. The pipe 16 also has a series of heat-radiating fins 22 forreducing the temperature of the gases.

The furnace L is operated in the usual way, the products of combustionpassing out to the regenerators from one end of the laboratory andyielding their heat to the checkerwork, while producer-gas and air arepassed in at the opposite end through the other pair of regenerators,from which they absorb heat. Upon reversal of the valves 12 13 the airand gas pass through the first said regenerators and the products ofcombustion through the last said pair. A portion of the products isdrawn from the discharge end of the regeneratorthrough the pipe 16 bythe fan 18 and forced through the producer under accelerated draft incompany with free oxygen, which is supplied through the inlet 19 and maybe furnished in part from the excess of uncombined oxygen in the furnace4. The remaining portion passes out through the stack-passage 15. Thatpart of the products which goes through said pipe to the producer iscooled in passing through the regenerators in common with the rejectedproducts, and the cooling action is supplemented by dissipation of heatto the atmosphere from the surface of the pipe 16 and the radiating-fins22 thereon. These fins may, however, be omitted where the regeneratorsthemselves or the length of the return-pipe afford a sufficientdiminution in the temperature, and either the pipe alone or theregenerator alone may effect the required cooling. The regenerators whenused may be relied on to cool the gases to a temperature of from 500 to800 Fahrenheit, or thereabout. It will be noted that owing to thelocation of the inlet of pipe 16 between the gas-regenerators 8 and thestack-passage 15 the waste gases are taken mainly or wholly from saidgas-regenerators, where the products of combustion are richer incarbonic acid, owing to the superincumbency of the air within thefurnace and the preponderence of carbonaceous gases in the lowerportions thereof. The endothermic reaction of this ingredient with theincandescent fuel, consistingin its conversion into carbon monoxid,exerts an important influence in maintaining the temperature of theproducer at a point low enough to avoid the production of soot andclinkers and clogging of the producer from the latter cause.

It will be observed that this apparatus avoids the use of steam, whichhas heretofore been a requisite in keeping down the temperature,especially with forced draft. Besides the other advantages enumerated avery considerable saving is effected in the consumption of fuel hithertorequired to make steam for cooling the producer. The quantity of steamneeded to run the engine for driving the fan is a very small proportionof that heretofore used for cooling. The presence of steam in moderateamounts would not interfere with the continuance of my process; but thenecessity of employing it as a primary cooling agent is entirely doneaway with.

It is to be noted that the heat abstracted in the regenerator from thatportion of the products of combustion which goes to the producer isshunted or side-tracked around the producer and returned to the furnaceby way of the en-' In this way I am en-' abled to save a large. part ofthe heat result-:

tering producer-gas.

ing from the cooling of the producer-draft when theinvention is appliedto a reverberatory' furnace.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus of the character specified, the combination of agas-producer, a gas-furnace having a regenerator heated by its wastegases, and a conduit for products of combustion connecting the waste-gasoutlet of saidfurnace supplied thereby and having checkerwork, means tointermittently pass the prodnets of combustion from said furnace throughthe checker-work, and means for returning the products of combustionwhich have passed through the checker-work to the combustion zone of theproducer for cooling the latter.

4. The combination of a regenerative furnace having two-regenerators,means to alternately pass combustion-supplying fluid and products ofcombustion through said regenerators, a gas-producer connected to supplycombustible gas to said furnace, and means to return to saidgas-producer the cooled products of combustion which have traversed oneor the other of said regenerators.

5. The combination of a furnace having regenerators one of which is solocated as to receive products of combustion containing a largerproportion of carbon dioXid than another, a gas-producer supplying saidfurnace, and means for returning to said producer waste gases from thefirst said regenerator.

6. The combination of a furnace having at each end a gas-entrance and anair-entrance, air and gas regenerators connected with said entrances, anoutlet-passage for products of combustion which havetraversed saidregenerators, reversing-valve mechanism for alternately directingproducts of combustion and air and gas through said regenerators, agasproducer connected to furnish gas to the furnace through thegas-regenerators, and a return-conduit for products of combustionconnecting said outlet-passage with the combus- I With said entrances,valve mechanism for alternately directing products of combustion and airand gas through said regenerators, a gas-producer connected to supplygas to the furnace through said gas-regenerators, and a return-conduitconnected to receive products of combustion from the gas-regeneratorsand supply the same to the producer.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, before two subscribingwitnesses, this 10 18th day of November, 190 1.

(JARLETON ELLI S.

Witnesses:

M. F. MANGnLsDoRFr, W. E. DIXON.

